Taylor Swift – ‘Midnights’ Album Review | Her glittery triumphant return to pop

Track Listing

Lavender HazeMaroon
Anti-Hero
Snow On The Beach feat. Lana Del Rey
You’re on Your Own, Kid
Midnight Rain
Question…?
Vigilante Shit
Bejeweled
Labyrinth
Karma
Sweet Nothing
Mastermind

In the wake of Taylor Swift announcing to her avid fans their 10th studio album Midnights the most frequently asked question was: What’s ‘Midnights’ going to sound as? Dealing with an artist with as much imagination and creativity as Swift is a challenge, as you will not be sure of the kind of album you’re getting every time she releases an album release.

From taking over the world of the country with her first four albums from crossing over to a glistening Pop-infused sound on her subsequent three albums, to releasing two consecutive indie-folk hits, and then having to go back into her archive to record two of her traditional country songs The singer-songwriter has never been one to be shy of exploring new genres.

With her well-crafted experimentation and playful musical left turns, her discography has an array of styles and genres that very few artists can match. Thanks to her distinctive poetic style that has never fallen below perfection throughout her career – all of her musical works are joined to create an enthralling mantle.

Therefore, the question: What’s ‘Midnights’ sound like? The singer didn’t make any announcements or release any concrete information regarding the direction of the album during the 53 days that followed the announcement (and yes I calculated it! ) The words remained on repeat in the minds of everyone up to this morning.

So, what exactly is “Midnights”? Is it the continuation of her indie-folk story and is it actually a brand new polished pop record? Is she returning to her roots, or is she diving into a completely new genre? If you think about it there is no doubt that Midnightsis really one of these.

The maturity and confidence which denoted folklore and evermore are tangible here, but the synths-based production (courtesy of Jack Antonoff) is closer to the pop trilogy of 1989-reputation-Lover – only this time it’s much more glittery yet mysterious at the same time.

The open-hearted and confessional approach to lyrics is evident (as always) however, the overall style is more sassy and humorous and is reminiscent of songs from the beginning stages of her professional career. However, the fictitious quality and the character-driven narratives in certain songs are particularly reminiscent of the twin records by indie folk.

The nightclubs are hopping with the HTML0

The opening track Lavender Haze is an elegant pop song with a variety of collaborators, other than Swift and Antonoff like the majority members of Kendrick Lamar’s musical collaborators as well as Zoe Kravitz. The lyrics of the track are about the struggle to maintain a situation that is “all-encompassing love glow” despite the criticism and negativity of social media. This is which isn’t new to the catalog of the singer-songwriter.

In contrast to previous tracks that talk that focused on holding onto love through the chaos of the internet, this one handles the issue with more sanity and calmness than she has ever had before, ignoring the criticisms with the words ” Talk your talk and go viral […] / Get it off your chest / Get it off my desk”.

The track is certainly pop, but it isn’t the soaring style of her earlier pop tracks, including Me! as well as Shake It Off. It’s more refined and subtle and is in keeping with the high quality of of the album.

The tale of living a life of a public figure is captured in track 3. The Anti-Hero is an equally memorable pop song that’s both entertaining and sad. With a rousing and memorable track, Swift details her insecurities and worries, laughing at herself and those she dislikes in an iconic Swiftianmanner track, with lyrics such as ” Too big to hang out / Slowly lurching toward your favorite city / Pierced through the heart but never killed”.

A large portion of the album is focused on the singer’s fears as well as other life-speed bumps such as those encountered in relationships. For example, in Question …? she ponders a love that was lost and is left with unanswered questions. In Labyrinth, she asks herself how she was able to be in love so swiftly with someone after breaking.

However, despite having intense attention to vulnerability and insecurity Three tracks on the album rekindle the self-confident and vindictive nature Swift is well-known to possess. In the ninth song, BejeweledBejeweled Swift sings about her frustrations with the person she loves who isn’t worth her, stating that although he’s not sure to be a good match for her, she’s still able to make the world awe-inspiring.

In the dark and sexy Vigilante Shit, Swift tells the tale about helping an innocent woman to get revenge on her husband who is a jerk, In contrast, Karma, is the sexy version of the tale, by reuniting with her enemies getting respect they deserve. ” Karma is my boyfriend / Karma is a god / Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekends / Karma’s a relaxing thought / Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?”, Swift sings a happy song.

The pop soundscape continues and brings us to the fifth track on the list The song titled You’re on Your Own Kid It’s the standard Swiftian track five, i.e. emotional and heart-wrenching. The track follows a child who falls in love but discovers that their partner did not really care about them, and they are forced to confront the reality that they are alone. The track is nostalgically heartbreaking, and contains several ‘punch-you-in-the-gut’ one-liners, such as the brutal “I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss”.

It’s interesting that the next track is the complete opposite of the previous one In the song Midnight Rain It is the Narrator (Swift) who does the grieving, and leaves behind a boy from a small town to concentrate on her career in music. We’re left to speculate about the possible autobiographical aspect of this track and whether it’s just a dream of hers or a reference to Swift’s past she decided to recreate.

As for songs from the past Track two is Maroonis believed to refer to her previous track Red however, it approaches the idea of connecting the love of color through more mature eyes. Instead of using a “bright and burning red” her song is a dark blue shade, which is harsher and more complex, which allows for greater complexities and authenticity.

The two tracks with the most tender lyrics from Midnightsare located at the beginning and another near the at the very. The fourth track is a dark, pop-infused track. The track Snow on The Beachnarrates the story of getting to love someone when they’re in love with them and how there’s something beautiful in the banal strangeness. The song is also only one of the songs on the album since it also features Lana Del Rey as well however her presence (or absence) in the song could be the only negative aspect.

The (almost) very end the track twelve is an ode to tender love again. The track was written by his partner Joe Alwyn, Sweet Nothing is about the beauty of falling loving someone you love who doesn’t want anything from you, just loves you exactly as you are.

Finally, Midnightscaps off with Mastermind Mastermind, a track that’s as good a euphemism for Swift as you can get. In the song, the singer sings about creating an elaborate plan to convince her lover (Mr. Alwyn) to be in love with her. This is a humorous contrast to her previous songs about the beginning of their romance, which she had previously described as being created by fate and fate. In Mastermind the singer declares the reverse, laughing about her personal ” cryptic and Machiavellian” ways.

Behind the shine and sparkle

Midnights is evidently a result of both Swift continuing to grow as a performer and songwriter as well as of her adventures searching through her archive to recreate her earlier works. It demonstrates growth and maturity as well as addresses the themes surrounding love as well as life at the beginning of her career. With the return to her old shoes, she clearly discovered something new in her and her work.

As compared to her other pop releases, this album is a more refined and synth-based approach to pop and explores different aspects of the same sound rather than performing a sudden 180-degree turn mid-album. The songs may appear like one another at first glance because they are part of the same musical environment, but they’re played in distinct ways that let Swift get the label of “Mastermind” without a doubt.

However, Midnightswould is the next stage in Swift’s discography for those who’ve been fans over the course of several decades, and to those who joined during the evermore/folklore time period, it could be an unwelcome surprise.

Contrary to the package of indie folk, Midnightsdoes do not adopt a more traditional style of lyrics. The floral, aureate style of storytelling is replaced with an approach that’s more humorous and relies on play-on words from commonly used phrases. Before, the heft and the emotions that accompanied these words seemed so evident the record conceals these behind the glittery, sparkling exterior of its music.

However, considering the chaotic nature of the lyrics she explores universal emotions of fear, and anxiety as well as the intricacies of being a woman It would be a mistake to ignore it because of its more fun song and lyrics. In the end, it’s not necessary for everything to sound similar to the way is written in Victorian English to be good Sometimes, everything that sparkles is gold as well. Midnights are the most glittering of heavens.